Pleuritis due to without pulmonary infection.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) may cause pulmonary and extra-pulmonary disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. Pleuritis is an uncommon manifestation on NTM disease, and pleuritis caused by has only been described once before. Because it is considered to be an environmental contaminant, isolation of from bronchopulmonary secretions or other sites is often dismissed. The disease caused by is usually a pulmonary infection and typically occurs in severely immunocompromised individuals or in immunocompetent patients with an underlying chronic lung disease. We describe an unusual case of pleuritis caused by in a patient without an underlying chronic lung disease and with no evidence of a concurrent pulmonary infection.